Using spectrums and dependency graphs to model progressions from introductory to capstone courses

• Published in: 2017 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: MacNeil, Stephen, Dorodchi, Mohsen, Dehbozorgi, Nasrin
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.10.2017
• Subjects: active learning; capstone; CS1; CS2; curriculum design; dependency graphs; design patterns; Education; Engineering profession; Industries; Prototypes; Schedules; spectrums; team-based learning; Teamwork
• DOI: 10.1109/FIE.2017.8190599

In industry, professionals often work with a variety of stakeholders and collaborators from multiple disciplines. This ability to work collaboratively can be as important to a project's success as their technical skills. Traditionally in STEM education, these collaborative skills are developed in a capstone course which mimics an industry experience. These experiences are invaluable in preparing students for the collaborative real-world nature of industry; however, these experiences can also be very stressful for students in dysfunctional teams with members who haven't developed necessary social, technical or teamwork skills. Although students may be exposed to some team-based activities in previous courses, it is not clear that this piecemeal exposure teaches students to work in teams effectively. Flipped classroom and active learning attempt to fill this gap by exposing students to peer learning earlier in the curriculum. However, these techniques are peppered throughout the curriculum and may not target all the skills necessary for teamwork. Design patterns in education formalize pedagogical approaches. But, applying design patterns without an intended progression or overarching goal may not lead students to successfully adopt these skills. Design patterns have the potential to scaffold students' development throughout the curriculum, but only if staged effectively and systematically. In this paper, we propose Spectrums and Dependency Graphs to ensure that students are prepared for each new design pattern as they experience it. Spectrums can plot design patterns along a continuum between introductory and capstone courses. Dependency graphs recursively specify patterns that prepare students for subsequent patterns. Each pattern will contain prerequisite skills or experiences that students have demonstrated in a previous pattern. In this way, students are systematically progressed from introductory to capstone courses. Through these two models, we attempt to get a better overview of the curriculum and create progressions through that curriculum that ensure students are prepared at each level, building on previous skills.